Artephius x Esperanza's clutch has hatched!

Esperanza and Tulip laid on the same day about 12 hours apart, despite being bred a couple weeks apart. Sure enough, their clutches are pipping about hours apart. So far I see two Caramel noses.

Old timers may appreciate that Esperanza and her mate Artephius were on Rich Zuchowski’s holdback/breeder shelf at Serpenco.

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They’re all out! There are 18 healthy Caramel babies. Most are very dark, at least until they lose their baby skin. A few are noticeably lighter in tone. Lots of dots and freckles on their cute little faces. Lots of split belly checkers.

No Amber or Diffused, so Artephius apparently isn’t het Hypo nor is Esperanza het Diffused. Of course all the babies are het for both, and 50% ph Amel and Motley or Stripe. Oh, and most of these babies are big! Many are well over 8 g, a few are 9 g. That’s not always the case with Diffused lines.

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These babies have all shed and most have had their first meals. They are almost without exception very calm, curious little things. I say “little,” but they’re pretty good sized for hatchlings.

There are still two basic tones, with some a warmer brown with more golden in between saddles. Some look to have a more grey background color. I think their freckles and speckles on their little faces (and a few lines like eye makeup) are adorable.

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Some of those who don’t have split belly checkers seem to have an unusual abundance of checkers.

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Congratulations on the successful clutch! The babies are absolutely adorable. :heart:

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Thank you! So far I’ve fed most of them. They are generally pretty calm, curious little things. Artephius has a fantastic disposition, and it looks like these babies have that, too. I believe that virtually any corn snake can become easy to handle with time and patience but there’s something extra special when a new baby says, “Hello, what are you?” rather than “MONSTER! I’m outta here NOW!!” :laughing:

In person these babies have a beautiful, velvety look. It’s like the satiny sheen sometimes seen with Diffused or het Diffused (they are). Do you know what I mean?


This little face is out of focus here but her"velvet" shows. I wish I could capture it better in photos.

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